Foundation of Sustainable Development.pptx

Ppt about sustainable development

1. Muhammad Toheed Faculty – SSLA Associate Director, Karachi Urban Lab Foundations of Sustainable Development Week 2 Concepts and Terminologies

2. What Does it Mean? What is Sustainability??

3. What Does it Mean?

4. The Concept The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,   17 Sustainable Development Goals and the associated 169 targets and 232 indicators.

5. The Concept :The word SUSTAIN means to support for a prolonged period or to keep an effort going continuously. With reference to development, sustainability means to keep the productivity, wealth and wellbeing of our society going continuously into the distant future. The concept of sustainable development was originally synonymous with, and is often still derived from the older forestry term “sustained yield”, What Does it Mean?

6. Additional Definitions Read Chapter 2: An introduction to Sustainable development by Roger et al. According to different sources, the concept of sustainability in the sense of a balance between resource consumption and reproduction was applied to forestry already in the 12th to 16th century. Definitions = 57 Sustainable development means basing developmental and environmental policies on a comparison of costs and benefits and on careful economic analysis that will strengthen environmental protection and lead to rising and sustainable levels of welfare. (World Bank, 1992) Sustainable economic growth means that real GNP per capita is increasing over time and the increase is not threatened by “feedback” from either biophysical impacts (pollution, resource degradation) or from social impacts. (David Pearce et al., 1989)

7. It is about safeguarding the earth's capacity to support life in all its diversity and is based on the principles of democracy, gender equality, solidarity, the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights, including freedom and equal opportunities for all. It aims at the continuous improvement of the quality of life and well-being on Earth for present and future generations. (EU Sustainable Development Strategy, 2006) “Sustainable development involves a process of deep and profound change in the political, social, economic, institutional, and technological order, including redefinition of relations between developing and more developed countries.” (Maurice Strong, 1992, Rio) Sustainable Development (SD) is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Report 1987). https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=beidaN3SNdA Additional Definitions

8. The origins of Sustainable development: What is Development? Slippery value buzzword? Or one abstract enough to be open to interpretation? Development is a multidimensional undertaking to achieve a higher quality of life for all people . (UN) Should be long term, flexible, adaptable, people oriented, benefitting the local. Sustainability must be a key component of development. Associated with improvement? Replication of the West? Concept of fair dealing using technical and scientific knowledge.

9. UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm (1972) Brundtland Report, Our Common Future (1987) United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNCED in RIo(1992) World Summit on Sustainable Development Johannesburg – Earth Summit (2002) Millennium Summit (2000) leading to the MDGs United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development UNCSD (2012) proposed idea of SDGs The origins of Sustainable Development

10. Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972. – Led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). First time the term ‘sustainable’ was used “in the modern sense” Part of the publication of  Limits to Growth , a report that described a particular state in which the global population would achieve balance or equilibrium. “Describing the desirable “state of global equilibrium”, the authors used the word “sustainable”: “We are searching for a model output that represents a world system that is: 1. sustainable without sudden and uncontrolled collapse; and 2. capable of satisfying the basic material requirements of all of its people.” How did we get here? A brief history of SD

11. Emphasized that protection of the human environment is a crucial element in the development agenda. Countries started beginning to set up/improve their environmental institutions. Next crucial piece of document describing sustainable development: 1987 Brundtland Report Our Common Future, 1987. – Brundtland report to the World Commission on Sustainable Development created by the United Nations. Issued by then Prime Minister of Norway, Harlem Brundtland, and later head of the World Health Organization. He emphasized on integrating environmental agencies into development policies instead of separating them How did we get here? A brief history of SD Read: An introduction to Sustainable development by Roger et al.

12. Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (Earth Summit) . – Principles for sustainable development were set. The Action Plan, called Agenda 21: 40 chapters of detailed recommendations to achieve sustainable development. Earth Summit helped finalize the UN Climate Change Convention and the Biodiversity Convention , signed by several countries, contributed to the evolution of sustainable development. World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 – recognized that these targets must include the reduction of poverty, giving sustainable development a more economic and social focus. The word barely existed in the academia in 1960s. It was after the 1980s discourse that environmental impacts of industrial activities became part of the curriculum, and focus on conservation of wildlife and bio diversity gained momentum. How did we get here? A brief history of SD

13. The history of thinking about sustainable development is closely linked to the history of environmental concern and of the conservation of nature in Western Europe and North America. This focuses attention in particular on the rise of international environmentalism in the second half of the twentieth century; Much of the focus on environmentalism and environmental concern linked to development in the late 20 th century lay in the ‘tropics’ The origins of Sustainable Development

14. Green Development by W.M.Adams , Chapter 2 The origins of Sustainable development:

15. What Does it Mean? Was this the first time a realization about ‘Sustainability’ began?

16. The origins of Sustainable Development The history of the concept of sustainability is much older. In 400 BCE, Aristotle referred to a Greek concept in talking about household economics. This Greek household had to be self-sustaining at least to a certain extent and could not just be consumption oriented.

17. Sustainability in ancient times

18. Aztecs – one of the largest empires of its times (population 200,000) Massive size, impressive organization, cleanliness = considered one of the most sustainable empires in history. Tenochtitlan is the name of the Aztec capital, which was founded in the year 1325 CE, near present day Mexico 18 Sustainability in ancient times

19. For the Aztecs sustainability was Recycling of nutrients and organic waste: Viewing waste as a valuable resource (food leftovers, crop residue, feces) as fertilizers Even urine was used as a fabric dye (yikes) but the emphasis was on minimizing waste and finding uses for nearly all materials Prevented pollution of surrounding lakes by reusing excrement Built aqueducts to bring fresh water into Tenochtitlan, canals to manage water flow, prevent flooding and improve irrigation Penalized destruction of trees, diverse agricultural practices including terraced farming 19 Sustainability in ancient times

20. Small artificial islands to accommodate growing population, called Chinampas on Lake Texcoco, and used them for agriculture The Aztec chinampas covered over 12 square kilometers and were highly productive due to the high amount of water and sunlight in the area, yielding multiple crops a year, and were built by piling mud and sediment from the lake bottom.. https://www.borninspace.com/a-visualization-of-the-size-of-cities-by-total-urban-area/ Although they had an ideal system of sustainability, the empire did not survive the militant conquest of the Spaniards. After conquering the Aztecs, the Spaniards dismantled the waste management system, drained all of the lakes, and built Mexico City over the land. 20 Sustainability in ancient times

21. Indus Valley, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman faced sustainability problems including deforestation, loss of soil fertility due to excess farming and logging. In Mesopotamia - strong agricultural system to have enough food for its people, but their overuse of land for growing food led to issues with water supply and soil quality which eventually contributed to the collapse of their society. These civilizations conquered new land to replenish their depleting resources. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwT-TxJID4w From 6000 BCE Ancient Africa to its current local culture, traditions and beliefs. Indigenous tribes passed down knowledge of sustainability - efficient utilization of agricultural land via crop rotation and mixed cropping without exploitation; limiting the allowance on hunters by allocating confined spaces; farming and logging banned in sacred parts of the forest; fruit trees around the farms for efficient land use. 21 Sustainability in ancient times

22. What Does it Mean? What triggered the transition??

23. In 1798, Thomas Malthus, an economist and a country pastor in England, wrote An Essay on the Principle of Population, stating “... population, when unchecked, increased in a geometrical ratio, and subsistence for man in an arithmetical ratio.” The opposing school of thought is referred to as the cornucopians. The group dismissed Malthus and saw instead an ever-increasing human population enjoying ever more benefits from the planet Increase in population pressure acts as an incentive to developing new technology and producing more food. Writers such as Julian Simon (1981) and Wilfred Beckerman (2003) saw a future limited only by human ingenuity, not by mundane issues such as food and energy consumption. Population, overutilization and need for sustainability

24. Population demographics From 2.6million years to 1700s: less than half a billion people. Today 8.2 billion people. What triggered this? Breakthroughs in technology after the industrial revolution. Rise in population + advent of technology = Expansion of economic activity Unintended result: humanity’s impact on the planet

25. As of 2024, roughly 700 million people live in extreme poverty, which is less than $2.15 per day. This represents 8.5% of the global population.) Poverty https://ourworldindata.org/poverty

26. Inequality within a city Urban Poverty - Income, hunger, well being/health, education, sanitation and clean water, gender equality. Drone photographer Johnny Miller reveal the dramatic divide between rich and poor in cities (left Mumbai; right Cape Town)

27. Drought in Cape town Africa, Flood in Queensland, Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico, Typhoon in Philippines, Amazon fire and Australia fire.

28. What is Sustainable Development? Population today: 8.2 billion people (UN) and increasing- already ten times since the industrial revolution. Divided between extremes of wealth and poverty and damage to the environment. Sustainable Development is really two ideas: One is understanding the world: the social, economic, environmental, together. Second is the idea of sensible goals for this crowded, interconnected planet. Chapter 1: The age of Sustainable Development - Jeffrey Sachs

29. Triple Bottom Line Political and governance systems as a fourth dimension In 1994, John Elkington coined the term “triple bottom line“

30. Defining principles of this Triple Bottom Line In 1994, John Elkington coined the term “triple bottom line“ to clarify sustainability as the integration of social, economic, and environmental value

31. Why do we need to understand these risks? RECAP : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99VrWNJyJ3E

32. Why do we need to understand these risks? Sustainable Urban Development: to understand these risks and also determine solutions and way forward How do we remain within safe operating limits of humanity, respecting the planetary boundaries? What if we decide to do nothing? Can we achieve sustainability without economic equality? Sustainable urbanization; smart cities; smart architecture; smart transit; smart systems; smart recycling. What are all of these strategies? What can we learn from other countries? Technological innovation, renewable energy… Problem Solving Motto: Leave no one behind.